The Baker's Apprentice

From Publishers Weekly
Bread remains a significant metaphor for life in Hendricks's warm and savory if somewhat predictable sequel to her debut novel, Bread Alone (2001). In the fall of 1989, Wynter Morrison, now a full partner in Seattle's funky Queen Street Bakery, is still waiting for her divorce settlement to become final. The former L.A. socialite, empowered by the lessons she's learned working with bread, takes on a new responsibility: teaching Tyler Adler, an angry ex-cheerleader, about the joys and perils of baking. Meanwhile, Wyn's relationship with bartender Mac McLeod, a frustrated writer, is in trouble: "Throw some sex into the mix and it's like putting too much yeast in bread. It's all very fizzy and light and wonderful, but then it rises too high and can't support its own weight and the whole thing falls flat." Then Mac suddenly takes off, retreating to a small town where he struggles to overcome writer's block and deal with an old tragedy that has affected his romance with Wyn. When Mac returns, Wyn faces a future that might not include bread baking, and the couple learns that a recipe for life without love is totally useless. Bakers will welcome the recipes (such as for Capuccino Hazelnut Scones) that Hendricks includes. Agent, Jane Gelfman at Gelfman/Schneider. (Apr. 5) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Readers who loved Wynter and Mac in Bread Alone (2001) will be glad to know that Hendricks cooks up a fulfilling second helping in this engaging sequel (recipes included). In the first novel, Wynter needed a bit of rescuing and Mac made a wonderful knight errant. Here it is Mac who needs saving, but he's not ready to accept her help, so he takes off for Alaska, settling in tiny, quirky Beaverton. From there he writes letters to Wynter and tries to come to terms with his past. Hendricks excels at creating atmosphere, bringing both the Yukon and Seattle to life as determined Wynter copes and Mac broods. Hendricks' story reveals many secrets as it provides readers with a fulfilling and happy reading experience. Although not as funny as Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me [BKL D 1 03] or Raffaella Barker's Summertime (2003), Hendricks' latest expresses the same heartfelt and committed love, sense of community, and pervasive kindness via fabulously cool and competent heroes. Highly recommended for both romance and women's fiction fans. Neal Wyatt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Booklist
"[An] engagnig sequel... a fulfilling and happy reading experience."

Publishers Weekly
"Warm and savory… Bakers will welcome the recipes that Hendricks includes."

The Santa Fe New Mexican
"Food talk, romance and recipes—what more could a reader want?"

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Hendricks rolls out a delicious sequel in Baker’s Apprentice... Prepare to have your appetite teased and stimulated, often."

Book Description

Judith Ryan Hendricks, who Booklist has said "calls to mind Barbara Kingsolver in her affinity for wise women and the power of close female friendships," continues the saga of the Queen Street Bakery in The Baker's Apprentice.

Wynter Morrison -- first introduced in the bestselling Bread Alone -- has found contentment in a life very different from anything she ever imagined: making bread on the night shift, learning the fine points of running a bakery, and exploring the possibilities of a relationship with Mac, her on-again, off-again love interest.

But Mac's failure to deal with issues in his past creates friction, Wyn's soon-to-be-ex husband is turning their divorce into guerrilla warfare, and she is reminded of how quickly life can reverse direction without warning.

Mac's abrupt departure is a shock, but conflicts at the bakery and her friend Tyler's tragic loss afford Wyn little time for brooding. Then letters from Mac begin to arrive, casual and distant at first, but gradually becoming more personal and revealing.

In his absence, Wyn finds she not only learns more about Mac but also about herself, as she becomes Tyler's mentor, passing on the wisdom and healing power of bread making. Her new self-awareness and resiliency will be tested when the Queen Street Bakery's existence is threatened, as well as when Mac returns and she must decide whether there is still a place for him in her life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Readers first met Wynter Morrison in Hendricks's novel Bread Alone. Wyn is back, and she and Mac have developed a relationship she only dreamed of before. With Ellen, Wyn is running the bakery, enduring all the challenges as she continues to learn the art of bread baking. When they hire Maggie, a cake designer, the tension starts to mount. Meanwhile, Mac has sent a manuscript to a New York agent. He goes off to Alaska to work on it, leaving Wyn hurt, angry, and in a tailspin. When confronted by a threat to the bakery, Wyn draws on an inner strength she didn't realize she possessed. The novel gains momentum as the story moves along. Hendricks has created another engaging tale of modern life in Seattle. Fans of strong female characters will appreciate the cast who populate this novel. Recommended for public libraries.-Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews